You’ve Got One Job: Just Drive
If you’re driving down the highway, do you think there is ever a circumstance when it’s safe or smart to close your eyes for five seconds?
Of course you don’t. Keeping your eyes on the road is one of the first things we all learn about safe driving. So why would anyone ever think it is okay to text when behind the wheel, or do anything else that takes your attention from driving?
It takes about five seconds, on average, to read or send a text. Not a lot of time. But, in that span of time, with your eyes on your phone and not on the road, a vehicle traveling 55 miles per hour can travel the length of a football field. In that instant, over that distance, a life can be taken—maybe even yours.
Distracted driving crashes claimed 3,522 lives in 2021 alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.